Tag - energy

 
 

ENERGY

JAPAN
Sep 30, 2014
Volcanic eruption fires concern about Kagoshima reactor restarts
Saturday's eruption of Mount Ontake is likely to set back plans to restart nuclear reactors in Kagoshima Prefecture and possibly elsewhere, as local officials and residents start debating how safe the plants would be in the event of a nearby volcanic eruption.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2014
Former Tokai mayor says Japan is sleep-walking toward further nuclear disasters
The Fukushima nuclear disaster reflects a failure by the government to learn from Japan's first deadly nuclear accident 15 years ago in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, according to the village's former mayor.
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2014
Volcanoes may be next obstacle for Japan's atomic power industry
The deadly volcanic eruption of Mount Ontake over the weekend may strengthen the argument of activists campaigning to keep the country's 48 reactors shut.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2014
Japan Atomic Energy Agency to close nuclear fuel reprocessing plant
The Japan Atomic Energy Agency said Monday it will close its nuclear fuel reprocessing plant because it would cost too much to meet tighter safety regulations adopted following the 2011 Fukushima crisis.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 29, 2014
Developing countries embracing nuclear energy despite Fukushima woes
Three years after Japan closed all of its nuclear plants in the wake of the Fukushima meltdown and Germany decided to shut its industry, developing countries are leading the biggest construction boom in more than two decades.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2014
Chugoku Electric mulls selling power outside service area
Chugoku Electric Power Co. is considering selling electricity outside its service area like other utilities as Japan moves to fully liberalize its power market around April 2016, company sources said Saturday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 27, 2014
No breakthrough in Iran nuclear negotiations, but sides agree to keep talking
Iran and six world powers made little progress in overcoming significant disagreements in the most recent round of nuclear talks, including on uranium enrichment, Iranian and Western diplomats close to the negotiations said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Sep 25, 2014
Safety net for nuclear power
A new system being considered by the government to guarantee a certain price for electricity generated by nuclear reactors — even after the retail sale of power is deregulated — would amount to the subsidization of nuclear energy by consumers.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 24, 2014
Japanese, Iranian leaders discuss Islamic State, Iran's nuclear program
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani agreed Tuesday to initiate regular contact over threats raised by the newly emerged Islamic State militant group in the Middle East, a Japanese official said.
BUSINESS
Sep 24, 2014
Philanthropies and investors pledge $50 billion divestment from fossil fuels
The Rockefellers, who made their vast fortune from oil, and other philanthropies and high-wealth individuals have pledged to divest $50 billion from investments in fossil fuels.
WORLD
Sep 22, 2014
IAEA set to announce 32-year low in nuclear power production
The cost of keeping uranium out of the hands of terrorists and safe from natural disasters is sidelining nuclear energy, which officials once dreamed would power a utopian future of cheap, almost limitless electricity.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Sep 21, 2014
Mihama viewed as test case for Japan's aging nuclear reactors
In recognition of Japan's rapidly aging nuclear plants, Kansai Electric Power Co. has begun discussing the possibility of decommissioning the Mihama No. 1 and No. 2 reactors, now more than 40 years old, in Fukui Prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Sep 21, 2014
Politicians discuss plan B in nuclear power push: underground reactors
With Japan's nuclear power plants nearing the end of their 40-year life cycle, a group of politicians is entertaining the idea of replacing them with underground reactors.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 19, 2014
Tainted water problems still plague Fukushima, despite some positive signs
More than three years since it was crippled by a megaquake, tsunami and triple core meltdown, the Fukushima No. 1 power plant is still bleeding tons of toxic radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean.
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2014
Japan's plutonium stockpile jumped to 47 tons in 2013
Japan had about 47.1 tons of plutonium in and outside the country at the end of 2013, which is 2.9 tons more than the year before, the Cabinet Office says.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2014
Solar, wind power proposed as way to refill hydrogen stations
The Environment Ministry is considering using alternative energy sources to generate hydrogen for the refueling stations being built to recharge fuel cells in next-generation automobiles, ministry officials said.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2014
Sendai nuclear evacuation plans get Tokyo's nod despite Kagoshima misgivings
The central government said Friday it "approves" of evacuation plans drawn up by local authorities near a nuclear plant that could become the first in the country to go back online, as officials attempt to ease persistent fears about the effectiveness of the plans.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2014
JAEA facility in Ibaraki suffers radioactive water leak
Japan Atomic Energy Agency announced Thursday that a pool of radioactive water was found in the radiation uncontrolled area of its materials testing reactor in Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 10, 2014
Raw material costs pushed wholesale prices higher in August
Wholesale prices rose 3.9 percent in August from a year earlier for the 17th straight monthly increase amid higher energy and raw material costs, the Bank of Japan said Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 8, 2014
Sharp putting U.S. solar unit Recurrent Energy up for sale
Sharp Corp. is seeking to sell its U.S. solar-energy development unit Recurrent Energy.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals